The present invention relates to gate latches such as those commonly employed to limit entry to yards and other areas. Such a latch has been shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,663.
In general, prior art latches have comprised a latch body through which a bolt pivotally extends for cooperation with a latch strike to maintain a gate in a closed position. In most cases, the latch body and bolt are mounted on the inside of the gate and the latch strike is mounted on a fixed post next to the gate, although the positions could be reversed if desired.
With devices of this nature, a handle is normally fixed on the outside of the gate. A thumb-activated lever, located near the upper part of the handle, extends through the gate and into the latch body. The lever is positioned so as to pivot the bolt away from its engagement with the latch strike to allow the gate to be opened.
In many instances, there is a need to lock the gate in order to prohibit entry into the enclosed area. For example, it may be necessary to lock the gate to prevent unauthorized entry into a swimming pool or similar area when the owner is away or simply desires privacy.
As shown by the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,663, certain gate latch structures have beem employed to accomplish semi-permanent locking of the latch gate. These latches provided that the latch bolt be slidable through the body into an aperture in the latch strike which closely conforms to the size and shape of the bolt, thereby prohibiting the bolt from being moved about its pivot to unlatch the gate. When it is desired to more positively lock the gate, an aperture can be provided in the bolt through which the shackle of a padlock may be passed to prevent the lock from being pulled out of the latch strike aperture.
While this prior art structure provided a positive locking of the gate, it is disadvantageous because it prevents the owner of the enclosed area from entering the yard from the outside of the gate under any circumstances. It also prohibits him from leaving the yard without first unlocking the gate so that he can pass through it, leaving it unlocked since there is no way to relock it from the outside. Further, these prior art devices produce a potentially unsafe condition in which, in an emergency, a person inside the yard is positively prohibited from leaving the yard without first obtaining a key and opening the padlock. Under some circumstances, such as a fire, this could by disastrous.